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When twentieth-century Cuban artist Wifredo Lam lived in Europe, he saw Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights and was said to have been fascinated by it. Struck by the poor treatment of Afro-Cubans in his homeland, Lam painted his monumental work, The Jungle, shortly after he returned to Cuba. A comparison of Garden of Earthly Delights and The Jungle points to the range of meaning that hybrid forms and fantastic landscapes can embody and express.

Questions to Consider

How would you describe the mood and tone of Lam’s Jungle and Bosch’s Garden? What kind of message do you think mood helps to convey in these works? Is it the same mood in both? The same message?

Both Lam and Bosch created fantasy worlds that are rooted in their impressions of reality. How important do you think it is to understand the social and historical context for each work? Do you think that there is a more universal message communicated through their fantasy element?

Both Lam and Bosch employed symbolic elements in their work. What role do you think symbols can play in helping to visualize imaginative worlds?